The Department of the Air Force (DAF),in conjunction with the FAA, NASA, and the U.S. Coast Guard are currently undertaking environmental impact studies of several potential Cape Canaveral/KSC launch sites for SpaceX’s heavy-lift Starship rocket.
The agencies are planning a series of public meetings on the Space Coast in order to solicit public comments. At least three meetings are scheduled for March 2024, as well as an online public meeting.
The DAF has created a new website to provide public information regarding the study. According to the site, the purpose of the new site is to “share information with the public, including key milestones and opportunities for public engagement.”
The DAF said the basis for the environmental study is “The need for the Action to ensure DAF Assured Access to Space without compromising current launch capabilities and fulfill (in part) the U.S. Congress’s grant of authority to the Secretary of Defense, pursuant to 10 U.S.C. Section 2276(a), “Commercial space launch cooperation.”
The environmental impact study is a necessary step in building a new pad capable of launching a Super-Heavy class rocket. The DAF is seeking “Assured Access to Space without compromising current launch capabilities”. Under 10 U.S.C. Section 2276(a), “Commercial space launch cooperation” the Secretary of Defense is permitted to take action to:
- “Maximize the use of the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) space transportation infrastructure by the private sector in the U.S.
- “Maximize the effectiveness and efficiency of the space transportation infrastructure of the DOD.
- “Reduce the cost of services provided by the DOD related to space transportation infrastructure at launch support facilities and space recovery support facilities.
- “Encourage commercial space activities by enabling investment by covered entities in the space transportation infrastructure of the DOD.
- “Foster cooperation between the DOD and covered entities.”
About Starship
Currently under development near Brownville, Texas, Starship is the largest and most powerful rocket ever built. According to SpaceX, it will be fully reusable, and capable of lifting 150 tons of payload to orbit in a reusable configuration, and 250 tons when it is configured as a conventional expendable rocket.
Current Starship designs are 397 feet tall, and 29.5 feet in diameter, producing some 16.7 million pounds of thrust at liftoff. By comparison, the Saturn V rockets used for the Apollo Program were 362 feet tall, and produced 7.6 million pounds of thrust. By any measure, Starship is a huge rocket with immense power, and its launches will be heard across the Space Coast.
Similar to how SpaceX Falcon 9 completes in many of its launches today, the Starship booster would return to land at its launch site when its task for the mission has been completed. Unlike Falcon 9, which lands at a landing area close by, Starship would return to its pad, where it would be grappled by “chopsticks” as it completed its final approach.
Starship is planned to be a fully reusable vehicle, meaning that its second stage (often simply called “the ship” in SpaceX parlance) would reenter and return to land at its launch pad using the same chopsticks as the booster.
Starship is still somewhat early in its development, with two test launches so far, and a third on the plate for the next few weeks.
It is worth noting that SpaceX began construction of a Starship launch mount adjacent to its Falcon 9 / Falcon Heavy launch pad at LC-39A at Kennedy Space Center, but it appears that construction has been halted for the time being while the company perfects and finalizes their Starship design and along with it, the launch mount itself.
The proposed action by DAF for the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station does not address that launch mount or its future, but NASA has raised concerns with SpaceX about the launch mount’s proximity to both current LC-39A and crewed launches from there, as well as LC-39B, where Artemis SLS rockets may be on the pad for a period of time prior to their own launches. NASA fears a launch accident could interrupt both of those currently active launch sites.
Three Proposed Alternatives from Department of the Air Force
The US Space Force is part of the Department of the Air Force, much like the US Marines are to the US Navy, as such DAF is the lead agency where Cape Canaveral Space Force Station is involved. For Starship, DAF has proposed the following:
- “SpaceX would modify and use SLC-37 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station (CCSFS)
- “SpaceX and CCSFS would build a new pad, SLC-50, between the current SLC-37 and SLC-40
- “No action, where no Starship constructions or launch occurred from CCSFS”
SLC-37
Located nearly due east from NASA Parkway, SLC-37 currently is used by United Launch Alliance for Delta IV Heavy launches. That program has all but ended, with only one launch of the venerable heavy lifter remaining. That launch is scheduled for the March time frame when the company will loft the NROL-70 payload from the pad. After that, there are no Delta IV Heavy launches remaining.
SLC-37 is one of the older launch complexes at the Eastern Range — Construction on it started in 1959 and was used by NASA to support the Saturn I program starting in 1963. It originally had two launch pads, 37A and 37B, though 37A was never used. Saturn I launched from it from 1964-65, and the site was modified for Saturn IB launches, the most notable of which was Apollo 5. After that, in 1972, LC-37 was mothballed until 2001 when ULA began using it for Delta launches.
Photo: NASA
Given that SLC-37 has hosted launches for around sixty years, it presumably would have the least environmental impact of the two options the Space Force listed. Undoubtedly, that would have to studied and verified before SpaceX could begin construction at the facility.
Given that SLC-37 has hosted launches for around sixty years, it presumably would have the least environmental impact of the two options the Space Force listed. Undoubtedly, that would have to studied and verified before SpaceX could begin construction at the facility.
A Potential new Launch Complex: SLC-50
Slightly north of SLC-37 is another potential location for a new pad, according to the Space Force release.
This is currently an undeveloped area of the facility, and conversion and construction of a new launch pad would require environmental impact studies to be completed prior to any construction there.
The No Construction Alternative
The No Construction Alternative is what it sounds like – no Starship launch pad would be built at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. Given that NASA has stated that no new LC-49 pad studies or activities are underway from the Kennedy Space Center side of the Eastern Range, that leaves either the LC-39A launch mount being completed for Starship or Starship not launching from the Eastern Range at all.
The Starship tower construction (right) at LC-39A, Kennedy Space Center has been dormant for at least a year.
Photo: Charles Boyer / FMN
The latter — no Starship — would be problematic for both SpaceX and for NASA, who is relying on Starship for the Artemis program and its lunar lander. SpaceX’s launch facility in Texas at Boca Chica has a limited acceptable set of trajectories available to it — Florida is to the East, Texas and the Gulf states are to the north, and Cuba and other land masses are to the south.
For test launches, Starship plans to thread a launch path over the Gulf of Mexico and then to orbit. From the Eastern Range, a much wider set of trajectories are available due to the Atlantic Ocean being mostly devoid of people or property over a much wider area. All things considered, Starship operations from the Eastern Range and the Cape is a preferable destination for SpaceX and for NASA. It also is notable that Starship launches would bring billions of dollars in economic activity to the Space Coast region: support jobs at the Cape, the associated jobs that are created to support the families of those workers, and of course tourism.
Public Hearings
The public has been invited to have their say about the proposed alternatives and comment on the environmental impact study:
- March 5: 4-7 PM, Catherine Schweinsberg Rood Central Library, 308 Forrest Ave., Cocoa.
- March 6: 4-7 PM, Titusville Civic Center, 4220 S. Hopkins Ave., Titusville.
- March 7: 4-7 PM Radisson Resort at the Port, 8701 Astronaut Blvd., Cape Canaveral.
There is also an online meeting for those that cannot attend in person:
- March 12: at spaceforcestarshipeis.com
